“Are you actually incompetent or just deaf?”

“Why you little…” The Aurumian guard stood, thrusting his chair back against the wall, and towered over Ahlvie, as if meaning to hit him.

Ahlvie blankly stared back.

“You will answer the question!”

He sighed. This was all so very tiresome. “I don’t know how many times I have to tell you. I don’t know where Cyrene is. I wasn’t involved in her kidnapping.”

“We’ll see about that,” the man said.

Ahlvie groaned. “How do I always end up in these situations?” he mumbled under his breath.

Ahlvie and Maelia had managed to escape from those murderous beasts through the woods, only to run headfirst into a Byern raiding party on the search for them. The guards had trussed them up like prized turkeys and brought them straight to Strat. The pair had been in the dungeons ever since.

Yet only Ahlvie had been the one under interrogation. Ahlvie knew that it was because of Aurumian beliefs about women. He’d read enough about it back home to understand why it was happening, but he didn’t think it was smart. However, considering Maelia had been raised by two Captains of the Guard, he doubted they would get any information from her either.

At least they weren’t torturing him or anything. Since they were Byern aristocracy, the Aurumians wouldn’t risk too much. They wanted all of the Byern soldiers out of their country enough to leave them buried in the dungeons but not enough to do any real damage. It didn’t make the questions any less annoying.

“I think that’s enough for today,” said a man Ahlvie knew to be General Wingra.

He was a fearsome giant that Ahlvie had no intention of crossing. A few inches taller than Ahlvie with massively wide shoulders, he seemed to take up the small room they’d dragged Ahlvie into a few hours ago.

“Yes, sir.” The man knuckled a salute. “Come on, you.”

Ahlvie lumbered back down the narrow hallway, as if it were the last thing he wanted to do. He really didn’t care either way, but giving the guard a hard time was the only thing he had to look forward to.

The guard shoved him against the metal bars, and Ahlvie grunted. He hated acting pathetic around this man. He could have taken him down and gotten out of this prison in a matter of minutes, if he’d wanted to.

But one, he couldn’t leave Maelia, and the idiot guard didn’t keep the keys on him. So, it would take more strategy than that. And two, Cyrene would come for them. This was the only logical place for them to be taken so this was where he needed to be. He’d plot their exit strategy and wait for her signal.

“Get in there,” the guard said. He wrenched Ahlvie forward by his arm and slammed the door in his face.

Yeah, Ahlvie hadn’t made any friends.

“See you again soon,” Ahlvie called cheerfully.

The guard glared at him and strolled away.

“Why must you irritate him?” Maelia asked him.

She was seated on the wooden bed in the cell next to him. Her forest-green dress was tattered from the fight with the beasts, but she managed to look demure and important. The guards underestimated her. He knew the ruthless killer that lurked under that facade. She’d taken down enough beasts with her sword that he was glad she was not against him.

“I have so little amusement in here,” Ahlvie said with a wink.

Maelia blushed, which was why he kept doing it. Though he was pretty sure she still didn’t like him.

“You should focus on more important things.”

Ahlvie prowled over to the bars that separated them and lowered his voice. “What do you have in mind?”

She raised her eyes to him. “I’m sure you’ve been so busy with bothering the guards that you haven’t even thought about escaping here.”

“You know, I find you very entertaining.” Ahlvie leaned against the bars and stared down at her.

Maelia glared. “Can’t you take this seriously?”

“Why does everyone keep asking me that?”

“Because we’re in jail!” she said, raising her voice. She clapped her hand over her mouth and looked down.

He could see the panic on her face. Despite the front she was putting up, she was clearly terrified.

“And we’ll get out.” He shrugged his shoulders.

“Perhaps we should be here.”

“We didn’t kidnap Cyrene.”

“Why don’t you tell them that then?”

Ahlvie laughed. “You don’t think I’ve tried? No one cares. They’re waiting for her to either show up or for the word to come with what to do with us.”

“Do you think she’ll show?” Maelia asked softly.

“Course she will. She’s Cyrene.”

“You have a lot of faith in her for someone who hasn’t known her very long.”

“You have so little faith for someone who claims to be her best friend,” Ahlvie countered. “I’ve known her nearly as long as you and imagine what I’ve seen in that time. Cyrene is a force to be reckoned with. She shines brighter than everyone else, moves with purpose, and follows her heart. She is worth believing in.”

Maelia’s eyes widened. “That might be the most straightforward thing you’ve ever said to me.”

Ahlvie nearly cursed, but then he let a lazy smile grace his features. “Needed to say something to get you to agree, and you do, don’t you?”

“Yes,” she peeped. “But how are we going to get out of here?”

His eyes flickered to life. “I have a few ideas.”